Paedophile football coach rushed to hospital after being discovered unconscious at a Hotel

Colin Ainscough

Paedophile football coach Barry Bennell has been taken to hospital after police responded to a "fear for welfare incident" at an address in Stevenage on Friday night.

Bennell, a youth coach who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and several junior teams in north-west England and the midlands, was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and then a nine-year sentence in 1998 for 23 offences against six boys in England.

Former Crewe player Andy Woodward waived his anonymity earlier this month to speak about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Bennell, which has led to a number of other former footballers coming forward to make further allegations of abuse.

A statement from Thames Valley Police said: "Police officers attended an address in Knebworth Park, Stevenage just before 11pm on Friday, November 25 in connection with a fear for welfare incident.

"A 62-year-old man was located and was taken to hospital in order to receive medical treatment, where he remains.

"At this stage of enquiries, it would be inappropriate to comment further."